CN: December 7, 2022

After the success of his first documentary, “America’s Last Little Italy: The Hill” about the St. Louis Italian-American neighbor hood, filmmaker Joseph Puelo, was looking for a new idea. He remembered the many people who would come up to him in his neighborhood in St. Charles, and suggest doing a documentary on the migration of Bosnian people to St. Louis.

St. Louis has the largest population of Bosnian people outside of Europe. A popu lation of over 70,000 Bosnian people has de veloped in St. Louis since 1993 when many began relocating to the region to due to an ethnic war in their country and the former

Yugoslavia.

Puelo realized how signifi cant the subject is and began chronicling the experience in his second documentary, “A New Home,” which currently streams on Amazon Prime.

“After meeting with many people in the Bosnian community and hearing their sto ries,” Puelo said, “I began to understand how I could shape the film and became in credibly excited at the opportunity.”

Director and producer, Puelo, consulted with author, Patrick McCarthy whose book, “Bosnian St. Louis, Between Two Worlds” explores the Bosnian experience in St. Louis and was released last October, for historical

information and documentation. He also partnered with Rio Vitale, the executive producer.

“From the very beginning of this project, the biggest advocate we had was Patrick Mc Carthy, who is an interview subject in our film and a staple of the Bosnian community,” Puelo said. “He has relationships with many Bosnian families dating all the way back to

By Tasmyn Scarl. Pg. 2

A SENIOR MOMENT. Pg. 5

Gateway Arch National Park receives National Park Foundation grant for park’s Every Kid Outdoors program. Pg. 5

Moore On Life, Lifestyle & Crossword Puzzle. Pg. F-4

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Submitted photos

1993 when the refugees first began to arrive in St. Louis. Patrick brought to the table hours of VHS footage of the fami lies as well as hundreds of photographs he had taken over the years. There’s no way we could have made the film with out his assistance.”

The film features five Bosnian people who were interviewed about the experi ence of leaving their country and tran sitioning to St. Louis. McCarthy also provides insights into how Bosnians adapted to the region.

According to the documentary, for many Bosnian people, the overall expe rience has so far been positive, though initially, it seemed to have taken some native St. Louisans time to be welcom ing. But with time, understanding by St. Louisans and effort by Bosnian people to fit into a new culture and contribute economically to their new neighbor hoods, both communities reached com mon ground.

“For city residents, there was a definite culture shock when they would look outside their windows to see goats being roasted in Bosnian backyards,” Puelo said. “But over time that apprehension definitely softened as Bosnians began to assimilate and their neighbors came to appreciate how the Bosnians were able to come into a dilapidated area like Bevo and fix up many of the houses and apartments, as well as open businesses of all kinds that stimulate the economy.”

The documentary, which was first screened over the summer at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase and won Best Documentary and Best Sound for a documentary, was well-received as it contains universal themes of resilience and triumph.

“What the Bosnians have been able to accomplish in overcoming such harrow ing obstacles and not only survive but thrive is what this country is all about. I also think that with the war going on in Ukraine, their story is more relevant now than ever with the many parallels that could be drawn between the two wars.”

Puelo hopes “A New Home” will con tinue to reach new viewers and provide insight into the Bosnian experience in St. Louis and therefore generate “a new sense of respect and admiration for their Bosnian neighbors.”

“To be trusted with telling the har rowing and triumphant story of the Bosnians in St. Louis was not a responsi bility I took lightly and their courageous resolve inspired me to give this film all I could give,” Puelo said. “The audience response so far has been overwhelming ly positive and we cannot wait for more people to get the opportunity to see “A New Home” through Amazon’s portal.”

documentary “A New Home,” which currently streams on Amazon Prime, tells the story of the migra tion of Bosnian people to St. Louis.

COMMUNITY VOICES:

Improve your health by thanking a teacher

Even though Thanksgiving has come and gone, it’s my favorite holiday for many rea sons; but, especially because it’s an opportu nity to be thankful for the important people in our lives. There have been many stud ies linking gratitude and health, and I am pleased to share an opportunity to increase your mental, physical and emotional health.

Each January for the past six years, the Challenger Learning Center has recognized St. Louis area teachers who have inspired their students to pursue a STEM career.

Some of these students are early in their love of STEM, such as high school student Kan’ya Cooper who says of her science teach er, “She has inspired me with her contagious enthusiasm.”

Some have gone on to become Ph.D. stu dents, scientists, engineers, or to pursue oth er STEM fields that they once thought were beyond their capabilities.

For instance, Philip Chrososki, who had recently completed a Ph.D. in physics, con ceded that, “I was not much of a good stu dent, but Mr. Easterday had a way of teaching that made everyone in the classroom enjoy

what they were learning.”

In all these cases, it was a teacher who helped them see something in themselves that they had not.

Sometimes their teacher’s passion and ex citement about a subject was contagious, sometimes it was because that teacher was one of the first examples of someone that looked like them who pursued a STEM field of study, sometimes it was because their teacher did not give up on them, even when they were struggling to keep up with their coursework and sometimes it was because they lent them an ear or a shoulder to cry on when no one else was there to support them.

What brings me so much joy is listening to the stories and seeing the emotional re action of the teachers when they receive the recognition and appreciation from someone whose lives in which they have truly made a difference.

So, now is your chance to be a part of the magical gift of appreciation. If you – or some one you know – is a STEM student or profes sional and has a teacher to thank for inspiring them to pursue that path, you can encourage

them to submit a nomination for an Inspir ing Teacher Award, which will be presented in January at the Challenger Learning Center.

You can find out more about the Chal lenger Learning Center’s Inspiring Teacher Awards on our website at https://www.chal lengerstl.org/inspiring-teacher-awards/.

Tasmyn Scarl is the Executive Director of the Challenger Learning Center-St. Louis and has over 25 years of expe rience in informal sci ence education. Tasmyn serves on the board of directors for New City School, Challenger Cen ter for Space Science Education, and the Jew ish Community Relations Council, and as a steer ing committee member of the St. Louis STEM Ecosystem. She is a marathon runner and leads a local running group, the Missouri Running Club. Tasmyn graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana with a degree in Industrial Design.

The opinions expressed in this column are the columnist’s alone and do not reflect the opinion of the owners or staff of Community News.

By Tasmyn Scarl

The

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IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection offers winter electrical safety tips

Who doesn’t squirrel away aging holiday lights or old patched exten sion cords, electrical blankets and space heaters better suited for mu seums pieces? Americans are pack rats. But when it comes to outdated electrical devices pulled out of stor age for use during the winter, what ever value there is in saving yester year can be a danger.

This year, the annual IBEW/ NECA Electrical Connection Win ter Electrical Safety campaign urges everyone to shed the pack rat men tality. Carefully inspect winter elec trical devices and get rid of the old stuff that’s outlived its safe use.

“It’s no secret that home electri cal fires and shock hazards tend to increase in the winter months,” said Frank Jacobs, business man ager, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1. “People stay indoors more in the winter months and introduce and often misuse electrical devices, such as space heaters, extension cords and holiday lights. We want to get ahead of that with our annual public safety cam paign.”

IBEW Local 1 partners with the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electri cal Contractor Association (NECA) to form the Electrical Connection.

The National Fire Protection Associa tion (NFPA) notes that fire departments respond to more than 46,000 home fires involving electrical failure or malfunc tion each year with the risks increasing in the winter months.

“In addition to the dangers of using outdated or damaged electrical devices during the winter months, electrical sys tems can also be overtaxed,” noted Kyle McKenna, executive vice president, St. Louis Chapter NECA. “Our NECA con tractors are frequently called to make electrical repairs to faulty installations that were performed by someone who didn’t have the skills to do the work. We emphasize building to National Electri cal Code standards to avoid wiring haz ards hidden behind walls of homes and businesses.”

Electrical Connection members pro vide safe and reliable electrical con struction, maintenance, repair and re placement services across Missouri, the nation and the world. For more infor mation visit www.electricalconnection. org.

IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection Winter Electrical Safety Tips

While homeowners can visually in spect electrical systems, it is not recom mended they attempt to fix or tinker with them in any way. Leave that to a licensed professional. Always make sure

installations in your home or business conform to the standards of the Nation al Electrical Code (NEC). This requires a fully licensed electrical contractor. The Electrical Connection has the largest data base of licensed electrical contrac tors in St. Louis and Eastern Missouri. It can be accessed by visiting www.electri calconnection.org. Other safety tips to be aware of:

• Space heaters/electric blankets –Never use an extension cord for an electrical heating appliance, such as a space heater or an electric blanket. The cord provided with the heating device is properly rated and should be connected directly to the electrical outlet. Inspect your space heater and discard it if it shows deterioration, particularly around the plug-in cord, or it lacks a functioning automatic shut off if tipped over. Watch where you place the space heaters to keep it away from combustible materials. Keep children away from space heat ers. Closely inspect electric blankets and heating pads and discard them if you note any potential fire hazard, such as discoloration due to overheat ing or exposed wiring.

• Extension cords – Never use an ex tension cord for an extended time as a permanent or temporary wiring solu tion. Extension cords aren’t made to be used for long periods of time and can result in electrical fires. When you are using an extension cord, al ways ensure that the plug has all three prongs. This ensures that your cord will stay properly grounded, which could prevent the cord from over

loading. Any extension cords with out the third prong should be dis carded immediately.

• Holiday lights – Examine and discard lights with frayed wires. They are not only a fire hazard, but a shock hazard and are especially dan gerous if they come in contact with a metal gutter and ladder while be ing installed outside. Use lights that are Underwriters Laboratories (UL) tested for safety and don’t exceed the strands of lights that can be connect ed as detailed on the product. Pay at tention to whether the lights are rated for indoor or outdoor use. Consider

using LED lights which last 20 times longer and don’t burn hot like tra ditional incandescent lights. Childproof all holiday decorations. Lights can be fascinating to young children and if they get too curious can ex pose them to a live circuit.

• Outlets – Don’t overload sock ets with plugs that could start a fire. Any electrical outlets in your home that are near a water source – sinks, bathtubs, washing machines – re quire a ground fault circuit inter rupter (GFCI) according to the Na tional Electrical Code. A GFCI is a fast-acting circuit breaker that shuts down your electricity as quickly as 1/40 of second after a fault occurs. If you’re missing a GFCI an electrical professional can easily install one for you.

• Wiring – Visually inspect your home’s service panel and note any potential concerns. Contact a licensed pro fessional if the panel is not firmly attached to the wall or wires are not neatly enclosed within their protec tive box or if deterioration is noted. Also contact a licensed professional if you note wiring connection points are not capped with a wire connector and enclosed within an appropriate UL approved junction box.

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The 31st Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival announces award winners and attendance results

The 31st Annual Whitaker St. Louis Internation al Film Festival (SLIFF) was held both in person and online from Nov. 3-13. The fest had a total estimated viewership of 18,923, including 11,627 St. Louis-area students who participated in our free Cinema for Stu dents program. There were 5,745 in-person attendees and 1,551 online viewers. A note on methodology: Be cause most virtual programs were watched at home by more than a single person, online viewership was es timated by multiplying the number of total programs purchased (886) by 1.75.

SLIFF screened 256 films: 50 documentary features, 55 narrative features, 58 documentary shorts, and 88 narrative shorts. There were an additional 15 film pro grams exclusive to Cinema for Students. The fest also featured seven special events: three master classes, a tribute to CSL’s former executive director, Cliff Froeh lich, two filmmaker receptions, and the closing-night awards presentation.

A total of 32 programs were offered for free and 40 virtual programs were offered at a discounted price of $5. In addition, all in-person screenings of the 21 shorts programs were offered for only $5.

This year’s festival featured films from 42 countries in 35 languages. With films representing 6 continents, the international films delivered memorable moments for SLIFF audiences. Highlights included “Broker,” the latest from Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda (“Shoplifters”), “Corsage,” Austria’s Official Oscar En try for Best International Feature Film for the 95th an nual awards in 2023, “The Cow Who Sang a Song into the Future,” “Holy Spider,” “Mars One,” Brazil’s Official Oscar Entry for Best International Feature Film for the 95th annual awards in 2023, and “You Resemble Me.”

The festival kicked off with a screening of “Empire of Light,” starring Olivia Colman and Colin Firth, and a screening of Alex Winter’s (“Bill & Ted's Excellent Ad venture”) latest documentary, “The YouTube Effect.”

On the festival’s final weekend, SLIFF offered a Trib ute to Cliff Froehlich for his nearly two decades of ser

vice and presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his many contributions to Cinema St. Louis. The following juried competition and audi ence-choice awards were presented:

Shorts Awards

Two juries choose the winners of the following seven awards from among the shorts in competition:

• Best of Fest: “Ice Merchants,” directed by João Gon zalez

• Best Animated Short: “Rosemary A.D. (After Dad),” directed by Ethan Barrett

• Best Documentary Short: “Last Days of August,” di rected by Robert Machoian & Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck

• Best International Short: “All the Crows in the World,” directed by Yi Tang

• Best Live Action Short: “In the Jam Jar,” directed by Colin Nixon

• Best Local Short: “World Skin,” directed by Van McElwee

• Best Short Short (less than five minutes): “Who is Syd?”, directed by Gabriel Hunter Sheets

The SLIFF shorts competition is officially sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, making the winners in the Best of Fest, Best Animated, Best Live Action, and Best Documentary categories el igible to submit for Oscar consideration.

The narrative-shorts jury consisted of Chris Aaron, filmmaker and assistant professor of film and anima tion at Webster University; Sarah Baraba, educator, writer, and co-owner of Arkadin Cinema & Bar; Lind say Berkebile, a stop-motion animator and director for Adult Swim and projects such as “Robot Chick en,” “Super Mansion,” “Crossing Swords,” and “Psycho Psalms”; Drew Edelstein, communications specialist, and contributor to Cinema St. Louis' The Lens; Keith Watson, attorney, film critic, and co-owner of Arka din Cinema & Bar.

The documentary-shorts jury was Ben Scholle, doc umentary filmmaker and Senior Professor of Cinema Arts at Lindenwood University; Leigh Kolb, assistant professor of English and journalism and freelance writ er for outlets such as Vulture and Women and Holly wood; Darian Wigfall, founder of St. Louis art and mu sic imprint FarFetched.

St. Louis Film Critics Association Joe Pollack and Joe Williams Awards

In conjunction with the St. Louis Film Critics orga nization, SLIFF holds juried competitions for docu mentary and narrative features. The awards are named in honor of the late St. Louis Post-Dispatch critics Joe Pollack (narrative) and Joe Williams (documentary). The winners are picked by two juries composed of St. Louis film critics. SLIFF chose eight films to compete in each category.

The narrative jury is Jim Batts (chair), We Are Movie Geeks; Max Foizey, KTRS Radio, and ZekeFilm; Cate Marquis, We Are Movie Geeks and St. Louis Jewish Light; and Alex McPherson, PopLifeSTL.com.

The documentary jury is Lynn Venhaus (chair), Mar tha Baker, KDHX Radio; and Jim Tudor, Zekefilm.

• The Joe Williams Best Documentary Feature: “Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West,” directed by

Ashley Avis

• The Joe Pollack Best Narrative Feature: “Holy Spider,” directed by Ali Abbasi

New Filmmakers Forum Emerging Director Award (The Bobbie)

The New Filmmakers Forum (NFF) annually pres ents the Emerging Director Award. Since its inception, NFF was co-curated by Bobbie Lautenschlager. Bob bie died in the summer of 2012, and SLIFF honors her memory by nicknaming the NFF Emerging Director Award, The Bobbie. Five works by first-time feature filmmakers competed for the prize, which includes a $500 cash award.

The NFF jury was Andrea Sporcic Klund (chair), Film Commissioner, Missouri Film Office; Joe Bilan cio, Director of Programming, OUTshine Film Festival; Veronica Loncar, Artistic Director, Kansas City Film Festival; Katie McCullough, Film Festival Strategist & Founder, Festival Formula; and Lela Meadow-Conner, Creative Producer, Curator & Founder, Mama Film

• The Bobbie Award: “Land of Gold,” directed by Nardeep Khurmi

The jury gave a special commendation to lead child actress Caroline Valencia for her heartbreaking perfor mance as Elena in “Land of Gold.”

The jury also granted a special ensemble acting award to the film “Freedom’s Path” with special com mendation to lead actor RJ Cyler for his powerful per formance as Kitch.

Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Award

Sponsored by the Albrecht Family

This juried competition awards a $5,000 prize to a feature documentary that focuses on people working to make the world a better place and that inspires au dience members and leaves them with a sense of hope for the future.

The jury consisted of Barry Albrecht (chair), partner with the Bodley Group and director of the Albrecht Family Foundation; Katie Carter, film critic at katieat themovies.com; Novotny Lawrence, associate professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communica tion and the English Department at Iowa State Univer sity, author of Blaxploitation Films of the 1970s: Black ness and Genre, co-editor of Beyond Blaxploitation, and Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Popular Culture; Colin O'Brien, St. Louis-based theater, concert, and event producer; Kenya Vaughn, journalist, film crit ic, and St. Louis American contributing editor; David Wraith, a Saint Louis native writer, filmmaker, sex edu cator, activist, and co-founder of Sex Positive St. Louis.

• The Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Award: “Of Medicine and Miracles,” directed by Ross Kauffman

Best of Fest Audience Choice Awards

Audience voting determines the winner of three awards from among the films in the competition:

• Best Film Award: “The Pink Lagoon,” directed by Juan Arce and Francisco Gallo

• Leon Award for Best Documentary (named in mem ory of the late civic leader Leon Strauss): “Night Life,” directed by Seth Ferranti

• Best International Film: “Memories of My Father,” directed by Fernando Trueba

Holiday confusion Still In This Together:

Seven weeks ago, the leaves were really beginning to turn colors, and when we had a couple of windy days, they were twirling and falling and wonderfully exe cuting their twists and turns to land perfectly in our back yard. Not, of course, the yard they started from.

The first two grandkids to start school (in North Carolina), were on what seemed a ridiculously pre mature Fall Break, and were celebrating as a family at Universal Studios in Florida, just a couple of weeks after Hurricane Ian’s visit.

Even people who are not the Halloween fanatics that I am had put up their decorations by then, be they fall, Halloween, or a great combination of the two.

As if on cue, our washing machine had started making bumping noises in the night, the morning, or whenever I decided to do a load of laundry. At first, it was fun to pretend it was just getting into the spirit of the season with its mysterious knockings, and I would run downstairs to readjust the load, but it soon be came clear that it had nothing to do with either Hal loween or an unbalanced load. The washing machine was old and had simply given up the ghost.

So, I did my due diligence, hunting out washing ma chine bargains, finding the stores that actually had the washing machines in stock, and finally clearing some time in our schedule on a day that was going to be sunny and bright, to actually drive to the big box store that offered the best deal and generally has employees

with knowledge about their products from our expe rience.

The gorgeous mums at the entrance to the store were breathtaking: orange, yellow and purple, and already marked down. Seemed a little early, but I fig ured maybe they had a large inventory to get rid of.

We walked to the back of the store, found the wash ers we had seen in the ad, lifted lids and turned dials, checked and double-checked reviews and warranty information. Then, we went searching for an employ ee to ask all the appropriate questions of, and to get the purchase process started. The old days of having employees actually search out their customers is in the past, I’m guessing, and it was just as well in this case, because it allowed us to make our decision privately, but I have to admit to kind of missing the attention of an employee and the information-sharing process.

After setting up the delivery, we got to the fun part… searching out the store’s Halloween display. Except it really wasn’t a Halloween display any longer. The werewolf howled obligingly as we walked by, but his voice was pretty mournful…seemed he’d already been marked down in an effort to begin selling Christmas trees, lit life-sized reindeer and multi-colored presents for the yard, angels, and even a replica of the Abom inable Snowman from the television version of “Ru dolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”.

I could almost see the decapitated pumpkin head

By Vicki Bahr

from the Halloween headless horseman eyeing the reindeer, ready to make his getaway when he was ready. Time seems to be of the essence if he’s going to make his escape before being ignominiously re-boxed until next July, when I’m sure Halloween merchandise will reappear.

To say this is all very confusing would be an under statement. Summer clearance is in one aisle, markeddown Halloween décor dances to Christmas music directly across the store’s center aisle from the ghouls and goblins, and one lone Thanksgiving platter reads, “Thanksgiving Was Never Meant To Be Just One Day.”

But I’m not sure it will even get a full day, and it should come with a warning: Blink and the store will be moving right along to New Years Eve merchandise, because Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.

Vicki Bahr is an inveterate word lover and story sharer, a published author in magazine, newspaper and blog forms. As a mom of four, grandma of nine, and wife of one for 50 years, she finds that inspi ration and wonder are everywhere.

The opinions expressed in this column are the columnist’s alone and do not reflect the opinion of the owners or staff of Community News

In the weeks and months immediately following a stroke, an early rehabilitation program offers the best possible recovery outcomes. While each person’s stroke recovery journey is unique, starting the path toward rehabilitation as soon as it’s medically safe al lows stroke survivors to mitigate the lasting effects.

According to the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, each year, approximately 800,000 people in the United States have a stroke. Strokes can happen to anyone, at any age. In fact, globally about one in four adults over the age of 25 will have a stroke in their lifetime.

Early intervention: The rehabilitation and sup port a survivor receives can greatly influence health outcomes and recovery. The first three months after a stroke are especially critical. Although recovery may continue for years after a stroke, this time in the immediate aftermath of a stroke is when the brain is most able to adjust to the damage done by the stroke so the survivor can learn new ways to do things.

Physical, communication and cognitive changes: Following a stroke, a survivor may experience phys ical changes, such as fatigue, seizures, weakness or paralysis on one side of the body or spasticity, stiff or rigid muscles which may cause difficulty with completing daily activities and tasks. If experiencing fatigue, speak with your health care provider about

Life after stroke: tips for recovery and daily living

ways to reduce it. Your care team may also be able to provide medications to help with seizures and spas ticity. Physical therapy is also an option.

Challenges after a stroke depend on the severi ty and location of the stroke. In addition to various physical disabilities, stroke survivors may experience aphasia, communication and thought problems relat ed to speaking, listening, understanding or memory. Planning, organizing ideas or making decisions can also be harder.

“Remember to be patient when communicating with a stroke survivor,” said Elissa Charbonneau, M.S., D.O., chief medical officer of Encompass Health and an American Stroke Association national volun teer. “The impact of a stroke on cognitive, speech and language can be significant and isolating. When con necting with a stroke survivor, some helpful practices include demonstrating tasks, breaking actions into smaller steps, enunciating, asking multiple choice questions and repetition.”

Customized rehabilitation: Once a stroke sur vivor’s medical condition is stabilized and he or she is ready to leave the hospital, rehabilitation can help restore function and teach new ways to complete everyday tasks. Rehabilitation may take place in an inpatient facility, skilled nursing facility or long-term acute care facility. Outpatient clinics and home health

agencies can also provide rehabilitative care in cer tain circumstances.

One patient’s rehab journey might include therapy to improve balance, strength or mobility while anoth er might need speech or other therapies. A rehabilita tion designed for the individual is critical.

Preventing a recurrence: After a first stroke, near ly one in four survivors will have another. Stroke survivors can help reduce their risk of having anoth er stroke by working with their health care team to identify what caused the stroke and uncover personal risk factors.

Taking steps such as healthy eating, reducing sed entary time and taking medications as prescribed can help your brain and reduce your risk of a repeat stroke. Controlling conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and sleep apnea also reduce your risk of having another stroke.

Support during your journey:

Caregivers and other loved ones can provide im portant long-term support during your recovery and rehabilitation.

Find resources for stroke rehab and recovery in cluding the “Life After Stroke” guide, “Simply Good” cookbook and a support network to connect with other survivors at Stroke.org/Recovery.

Gateway Arch National Park receives National Park Foundation grant for park’s Every Kid Outdoors program

Gateway Arch National Park has received a $40,000 grant from the National Park Foundation in support of the park’s Every Kid Outdoors (EKO) program.

The grant funds fourth grade students’ visits to Gate way Arch National Park, covering Tram Ride to the Top tickets as well as transportation to and from the park when part of a scheduled education program. During the 2021-2022 school year, 1,276 students were served through the park’s EKO grant. Park partner Jefferson National Parks Association is serving as the fiscal agent for the grant.

“We are so grateful to the National Park Foundation for their generosity in bringing students to Gateway Arch National Park, where they can learn about the significance of the Arch and surrounding areas, and why the park is important in the story of America,” says Pam Sanfilippo, Program Manager, Museum Services & Interpretation, Gateway Arch National Park.

EKO is a federal public lands partnership created to inspire U.S. fourth graders and their families to recre ate, explore cultures, discover connections to nature and spark a lifelong passion for America’s great out

SLA Deltas to host its annual toy giveaway

The St. Louis Alumnae Chapter (SLA) of Delta Sig ma Theta Sorority, Inc., is gearing up for the holiday season and is excited to bring its Annual Breakfast with Santa event once again to the community on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 9 a.m. – noon. The event will take place at Carr Lane Visual Performing Arts Middle School, lo cated at 1004 N. Jefferson Ave. in St. Louis.

Breakfast with Santa is the chapter’s annual toy give away, which was always held in person at a specific community location for children ages 12 and under. However, the challenges of the pandemic over the past two years made it hard to implement safety protocols for the numerous families participating in a traditional pancake breakfast.

While being able to offer a meal to the children this year is a step toward getting back to normal, SLA is still

taking precautions to keep families safe.

“We’ll be giving out breakfast sandwiches instead of pancakes due to COVID,” said Renee Taylor, chair of the Breakfast with Santa committee. “While the expe rience may be a little different without our signature pancakes, which we know the kids really enjoyed, we’re looking forward to welcoming families into a warm facility after doing a drive-by version of the event in 2021.”

“Breakfast with Santa is open to everyone,” explained Taylor. “We chose Carr Lane because we wanted to be in the city of St. Louis and accessible to those who might benefit most from the program.”

Making a comeback this year is the opportunity for kids to win a bike.

“We realize that many families are taking a huge fi

doors.

All fourth graders, including homeschooled and freechoice learners, can get a pass that covers entrance or standard amenity day use fees at National Park Service sites as well as many other federal lands and waters.

To get a Fourth Grade Pass, visit everykidoutdoors. gov, complete an online activity, and download and print a personalized voucher to exchange at a partici pating site, including Gateway Arch National Park. The pass is good for one year.

nancial hit this year with the rising costs of goods and services,” said SLA President Dr. Bernadette White. “The goal of Delta’s service projects is to offer some re lief to our area’s most under-resourced communities is high on our list of priorities in all of our programming efforts. It is our hope that by giving gifts and bikes in our Breakfast with Santa program, we will alleviate some of the financial hardship that families may face during this time of year. The kids seem to enjoy attend ing our event as much as we love hosting it.”

Children must be accompanied by an adult. Each child will get a meal, one toy, a book and a chance to win a bike, while supplies last. For individuals or or ganizations wanting to donate new unwrapped toys, books or bikes, please call 314-325-9830.

Normandy students premiere opera

A one-act opera written and performed by Norman dy Schools Collaborative (NSC) students premiered on Nov. 29 in a unique partnership with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and the E. Desmond Lee Fine Arts Education Collaborative at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. “The Big Bad Day” is an original piece based on the book “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” by Jon Scieszka.

Based on the national curriculum “Music! Words! Opera!,” teaching artist Valerie Smith is leading stu dents through the creative process of writing a libret to and setting the words to music. In early September, Smith began meeting weekly with NSC Fine Arts Di rector Suzanne Palmer’s third-grade students at Jeffer son School.

“This opportunity to create a libretto is a welcomed creative writing experience for our young scholars,” said Palmer. “When I was approached by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis to do this project with them, I thought this experience of singing, acting, and performing com bined with an emphasis on scholastic growth is exactly what I want for students of all ages in Normandy.”

Once the words were written, Smith set them to music using input from students. The music was then shared with local composer/orchestrator Terrence Abernathy who scored the music for strings and select wind instru ments. This unique project allows students the opportu nity to create an original opera and perform the work in a professional theater along with world-class musicians from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Marie-Hélène Bernard, President and CEO of the St.

Louis Symphony Orchestra, said, “These students have truly harnessed the power of music to express their thoughts, and we celebrate their hard work and creativ ity. The SLSO is excited and honored to be part of this collaboration to help spotlight their original work in this performance that will make our community proud.”

Among the instrumentalists are seven musicians from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, who were joined by student performers from Normandy High School. Se lect student singers from Barack Obama, Bel-Nor, Lu cas Crossing, and Washington Schools also participated in singing chorus roles in the opera. Normandy visual arts teachers coordinated sets, props, and costumes.

“OTSL is incredibly proud of these students and their fantastic efforts,” said Andrew Jorgensen, General Direc tor of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. “They’ve discovered and experienced the beauty of opera and what impact music can make in our lives. Their work creating their very own production is nothing short of inspirational. We’re grateful to be involved in such an important proj ect and can’t wait for audiences to hear their opera.”

Michael Smith, the E. Desmond Lee Endowed Pro fessor of Music Education and director of the Des Lee Fine Arts Education Collaborative, applauded the unique collaboration.

“This is such an exciting project for the Des Lee Fine Arts Collaborative,” he said. “It is a perfect example of the wonderful opportunities that can be created when our community comes together to share all of our vary ing resources and talents.”

Breaking down barriers

According to a study done by the Pew Research Center, professions in the areas of science, technol ogy, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are se verely lacking in diversity.

For instance, only 9% of STEM professionals are African American and only 8% are Hispanic. Wom en are also underrepresented in the fields occupying only 25% of computer jobs and 15% of engineering roles. One local organization is doing its part to ad dress the void of diversity in STEM with help from a generous grant from Ameren Missouri.

Black Girls Do STEM, founded in 2019 by research chemist, Cynthia Chapple, is a nonprofit organiza tion that provides an exploration of STEM careers and a hands-on STEM-based curriculum to over 90 Black girls in middle school and high school. The or ganization recently received funding from Ameren Missouri to support this initiative.

The funds will be used to support more math and science tutors and partnerships for ACT preparation and post-secondary planning.

“We appreciate this gift from Ameren. Our goal always is to provide our girls confidence and self-

“We appreciate this gift from Ameren. Our goal always is to provide our girls confidence and self-

“We appreciate this gift from Ameren. Our goal always is to provide our girls confidence and self-

“We appreciate this gift from Ameren,” said Cyn thia Chapple, founding executive director of Black Girls Do STEM. “Our goal is to provide our girls confidence and self-worth during the critical ado lescence stage of development, career exploration and personal growth as well as deep access to STEM hands-on learning and work opportunities.”

The program has already helped many participants discover more of their talents.

“Being a part of the Black Girls Do STEM program has shown me that I am a problem solver,” said pro gram participant, Naomi Richardson.

Camryn Gil, another BGDS member has experi

By Wendy Todd

enced a boost in her confidence because the public speaking opportunities she’s received in the pro gram.

Students in the eighth through 11th grades can also par ticipate in research internships at Wash ington University in St. Louis School of Medicine via a part nership with the uni versity, adding to the hands-on learning ex perience emphasized by BGDS.

Ameren Missouri is happy to support underrepre sented groups find conduits into STEM fields.

“By partnering with Black Girls Do STEM, we are working to ensure young women are aware of pathways to attain the education and background needed to secure technology-driven positions,” said Sarah Kramer, director of corporate philan thropy and community impact at Ameren. “By in vesting in under-funded nonprofits like Black Girls Do STEM, we are helping to foster a more inclusive future that lifts our entire community to higher heights.”

Chapple believes it’s important that her students remain active in STEM studies during high school.

“The organization hopes to expand our array of support services for high school girls to keep STEM engagement high throughout their high school years,” she said.

Though none of the girls in the program have graduated high school yet, Chapple hopes her orga nization will show them having a career in the STEM

REALTORS provide $119,000 in relief after historic floods

In collaboration with the National Association of REALTORS Relief Fund, Missouri REALTORS, St. Louis REALTORS and St. Charles REALTORS have provided $119,055 in relief to 109 families impacted by the historic flooding that occurred in July 2022.

“The devastation to our community was heart breaking. As REALTORS, we know the importance of having a safe and secure place to live and are honored to have been able to provide mortgage or rental pay ment assistance for those whose homes were impact ed by the floods,” said Katie Berry, 2022 President of St. Louis REALTORS.

Residents who were displaced from or dealt with severe damage to their primary residence were eligi ble for grants to assist with one month’s mortgage or temporary rental or hotel expenses. The funds were provided by the National Association of REALTORS Relief Foundation and administered by the Missouri

REALTORS Relief Foundation.

“The REALTORS Relief Foundation was established in 2001 by then-President Richard Mendenhall, from Columbia, Missouri, to respond disasters like the floods in St. Louis. Since then, REALTORS have con tributed more than $35 million to communities across the country, including those impacted by the Joplin tornadoes in 2011,” said John Mayfield, 2022 Presi dent of Missouri REALTORS.

To ensure people knew about this most recent grant program, Matt Becker, 2022 President of the St. Charles REALTORS association shared the follow ing, “We encouraged REALTORS across the region to connect with their friends, family, and client net work to let everyone know these funds were available to hopefully help ease some of the financial burden created by this terrible disaster.”

fields is a viable option.

“We are extending access to those historically mar ginalized in our community, and assisting in diversi fying the STEM workforce for our region,” Chapple said.

Black Girls Do STEM provides an exploration of STEM careers and a hands-on STEM-based curriculum to over 90 Black girls

Black Girls Do STEM, founded in 2019 by research chemist, Cynthia Chapple, is a nonprofit organization that provides an exploration of STEM careers and a hands-on STEM-based curriculum to over 90 Black girls in middle school and high school.

Submitted photo

The events listed in this section are the latest updates as of press time, please check with individual sites for the most up to date cancellations and reschedule info.

EVENTS

Dec. 9-10: Fundraiser sale

FLIERS (Friends of the Fer guson Municipal Public Li brary) Trinkets and Treas ures Sale featuring vintage goods, gift-quality items, books, new jigsaw puzzles and more on Friday, Dec. 9 from 9 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 10 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the auditorium of the Ferguson Municipal Public Library at 35 N. Florissant Road in Fer guson. For more informa tion, contact Janie Norberg at 314-521-4663 or jkbnorb erg@gmail.com.

Feb. 18: Black light bingo Soroptimist of Greater St. Louis will host their An nual Black Light Bingo at JFK Center in Florissant. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at www.soropti miststlouis.com.

RECURRING EVENTS

Weekdays: Food pantry volunteers needed

The Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry is in need of on going adult volunteers to sort food, stock shelves and shop with clients. Two-to-four hour shifts are available, Mon day-Friday 8:45 a.m.-3:45 p.m. To learn more or to join this fun group, contact Chelsey Banaskavich at 314-513-1674 or cbanaskavich@jfcs-stl.org.

Mondays: Choral Arts Group meetings

Choral Arts Group practi ces every Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Connection Chris tian Church at 1332 Feise Rd. in O’Fallon. Auditions not required. Ages high school and older are invited to join. There will be spring and fall public concerts. For more information call Marty at 636-579-9227, or email con certartsa@gmail.com.

Mondays: City council meetings

City of Pine Lawn holds regular city council meet ings at city hall at 6250 Steve Marre Ave. in Pine Lawn on the second Monday of the

month at 6:30 p.m. The meet ings are open to the public.

Mondays: Workshop meetings

City of Pine Lawn holds regular workshop meetings at city hall at 6250 Steve Marre Ave. in Pine Lawn on the fourth Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. The meet ings are open to the public.

Mondays: A cappella singers

All men who like to sing are invited to come sing with us, The Men of Harmony. We practice every Monday night at 7 p.m. at 5500 Par ker Raoad which is the first house on Uthe Lane. We sing four-part harmony a capella (without accompani ment). We sing some trad itional songs, as well as show tunes and more contempor ary music. We do perform for the public at various functions. Persons interest ed can come right on in or for more information call Al at 314-993-6134.

Mondays: Korean War Veterans Association meeting

If you had military service in Korea between Sept. 3, 1945 and the present you are cor dially invited to a meeting of Chapter 4, North County Korean War Veterans Associ ation. Meetings take place at the VFW Post 4105 at 410 St. Francois in Florissant on the second Monday of the month, starting at 7 p.m. For more information contact Walter Kaiser at 314-921-2132. For a limited period the Chapter will pay for one (1) year mem bership for new members.

Mondays-Thursdays:

Volunteers needed Community Action Agency of St. Louis County is in need of volunteers to stock shelves, sort food shipments and pack bags for Food Pan try Clients Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Two to four hour shifts are available. If you are inter ested, please contact Cheryl Piece at 314-446-4440 or cpiece@caastlc.org for addi tional information.

Tuesdays: Bingo Florissant Elks Bingo takes

place at 16400 New Halls Ferry every Tuesday. Doors open at 4 p.m., bingo starts at 6 p.m. No outside food or drinks allowed per St. Louis County. Food and drinks available for purchase. Max imum 150 players. Must wear mask to enter. Social distancing followed.

Tuesdays: A cappella

singers

The Gentlemen of Sound are looking for men who like to sing or want to learn. They practice Tuesdays at Lady of the Pillar school at 401 S. Lindbergh from 7 – 9 p.m. They try to do public events monthly. Always looking for new members. Come by or call Kirk at 314-954-7920 .

Tuesdays: Chair Zumba

Chair Zumba every Tuesday from 2:15 – 3 p.m. at The Bridge At Florissant at 1101 Garden Plaza Dr. (Parker @ Arlington). For more infor mation call 314-831-0988.

Tuesdays: Celebrate Re covery

Celebrate Recovery Tuesday meetings take place at 6 p.m. with a Saturday Bible Study at 9 a.m. at LifePoint Church at 424 Graham Rd. in Floris sant. For more information visit www.lifepointminis tries.church/celebrate-re covery or call (men) Steve D. at 636-634-6582 or (women) Denise W. at 530-417-6151.

Tuesdays: Choir rehears als

The St. Louis Chordinals, a women’s a cappella chor us, rehearse every Tuesday evening from 7 - 9:30 p.m. at Beautiful Savior Luther an Church at 12397 Natur al Bridge Rd. in Bridgeton (next to the Bridgeton Gov ernment Center). For more information call Linda at 314-839-3495 or visit stloui schordinals.org.

Tuesdays: TOPS (Take off pounds sensibly)

From 9:15 - 10:30 a.m. lo cated at John F. Kennedy Center/Henry Koch Ctr., Howdershell Rd. at Char bonier Rd., Florissant. For more info contact Paul Mc Connell, 314-831-5476.

2nd Tuesday Sept.-June: Show-me Stitchers: Show-me Stitchers is the lo cal chapter of the Embroid erers’ Guild of America. We meet on the second Tuesday, Sept.-June at 6:30 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, 14088 Clayton Road, Ches terfield, MO. Learn needle point, embroidery, cross

stitch, and more.

Every 4th Tuesday of the month: Fort Bellefon taine Memorial Amer ican Legion Post 335 meeting 6:30pm, Fort Bellefontaine Memorial American Legion Post 335, at the Bellefontaine Neighbors Community Cen ter at 9669 Bellefontaine Rd. Those interested in member ship are invited to attend.

Wednesdays: Bingo Bingo takes place every Wed nesday at American Legion Post 338 at 9655 Midland Blvd. in Overland. Doors open at 5 p.m. For more in formation contact Chairman Ed Hilleman at 314-660-1813.

Wednesdays: Bingo Life Care Center of Bridge ton, at 12145 Bridgeton Square in Bridgeton, wel come all to Community Bingo every last Wednesday of the month at 2:30 p.m. Light refreshment will be served. Please RVSP at 314298-7444 with the month you will attend and number of people attending.

Wednesdays: TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly)

TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meets from 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at St. Andrews United Methodist Church at 3975 N. Hwy 67 in Florissant. For more information con tact Norma at 314-306-4731.

Every Wednesday: Bingo Morning at Florissant Elks Lodge #2316 Florissant Elks Lodge #2316, 16400 New Halls Ferry Rd. in Florissant. Doors at 8:00 a.m., games begin at 9:30 a.m. For more information, call 314-921-2316.

Bridgeton Trails Library Branch Programs: 3455 McKelvey Rd., St. Louis, 314-994-3300. Story Time: Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. 9 months to 2 yrs. Room 1 (Lap Time); Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. Ages 3–5. Room 2; Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. Ages 3–5. Room 1.

Florissant Senior Cit izens’ Bingo Clubs: 314839-7604.

Every 1st Wednesday of the Month: Stroke Sup port Group 3-4 p.m., Center for Senior Renewal, Detrick Building 1st floor, 11133 Dunn Rd. For more information, contact Ja mie Stevens at 314-653-5331.

Thursdays: Bingo

Community Bingo at the Bridge At Florissant, at 1101 Garden Plaza Drive (inter section of Parker and Arling ton) takes place on the third Thursday of each month starts at 2 p.m. There will be snacks and prizes. For more informa tion call 314-831-0988.

Thursdays: Quilting guild

Every third Thursday of the month the Flower Valley Quilting Guild meets at 7 p.m. in the old school at the Old St. Ferdinand Shrine, 1 Rue St. Francois, Florissant.

Thursdays: Blood pres sure checks

Free blood pressure checks monthly at Life Care Center of Florissant at 1201 Garden Plaza Dr. (off Parker Rd.) in Floris sant every third Thursday of the month. Call 831-3752 for more information.

Thursdays: Women’s chorus meeting

Every Thursday City Voices Cho rus, a women’s chorus singing four-part a cappella harmony, meets at Church of the Good Shepherd at 1166 S. Mason Rd. in St. Louis. Members come from the entire bi-state region. Call Marcia at 636-274-0723 for more information or visit www. cityvoiceschorus.org.

Fridays: Fish fry

St. Ferdinand Fish Fry at 1765 Charbonier Rd. in Florissant, has resumed every Friday from 3 - 7 p.m.

Fridays: Fish fry

A fish fry takes place every Fri day at American Legion Post 338 at 9655 Midland Blvd. in Overland from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information contact Chairman Ed Hilleman at 314660-1813.

Every Friday: Our Lady of Fatima #4429 Knights of Columbus Bingo 6:45 p.m., Knights of Colum bus Hall, 1216 Teson Rd. in Ha zelwood. For more information call 314-731-9330.

Every 3rd Friday of the month: Bingo

2 p.m., Life Care Center of Flo rissant, 1201 Garden Plaza Dr. For more information, call 314831-3752.

Saturdays: Yoga

Yoga returns to Calvary UCC at 2501 Hartland Avenue, on Saturdays from 10:30-11:30. Masks and social distancing are required in the building and participants should bring hand sanitizer with them. For further information call Angela at 314801-8594.

Saturdays: Toastmasters

meeting

Everyone is welcome to attend Toastmasters Saturdays 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Normandy United Methodist Church at 8001 Natu ral Bridge Road (across from UMSL). For more info call 314402-7025.

Saturdays: Free walk-in clinic

Salam Clinic at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ at 1425 Stein Road at West Florissant in Fergu son is a free walk-in clinic open Saturdays from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. The clinic is jointly sponsored by the Muslim Community of St. Louis (MCSL) and St. Peter’s United Church of Christ to pro vide basic adult medical screen ing, treatment and referrals free of charge for the uninsured. For more information or if you would be interested in volunteer ing, please call 314-521-5694 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday – Friday or visit www.stpeterschurch.org.

Saturdays: Clothing sale

On the second Saturday of each month Bethany-Peace UCC at 11952 Bellefontaine Rd. in St. Louis County hosts a clothing sale from 9 - 11 a.m. For sale are used clothing and shoes, some household items, books and toys. Fill your bag for $1.

Saturdays: Grief support

On the fourth Saturday of each month, grief support meeting “A Way With Words Ministry” meets at 12:30 p.m. at Commun ity Christ Fellowship, rear, at 121 Williams Blvd. in Hazelwood, 1/4 mile south of Hwy 270 off Florissant Rd. There are a var iety of topics monthly. You are not alone. Come help your heart heal with others. For more infor mation call 314-605-3949.

Every Fourth Saturday’s Writer’s Workshop

10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at Baden Li brary, at 8448 Church Rd. For more information call 314-3882400.

Sundays: AMVETS meat shoot

Sundays in September through April, AMVETS Post 55, locat ed on 8842 Natural Bridge Rd. in Bel-Ridge will be hosting meat shoots with practice be ginning at 11 a.m. and rounds starting at noon. Shooters must be 18 or older and will shoot #9’s with no bull barrels or scopes and 675 minimum chokes. The shooting area is indoors and food and drink are available in the club room. For more information, contact 314630-2671 or 314-330-7269.

Sundays: Jennings DoDads meeting

The Jennings Do-Dads hold meetings every third Sunday of the month (except June which is the second Sunday and no

meeting in December) at 1 p.m. at Classics Bar & Grill at 11601 West Florissant Avenue. Those interested in membership are invited to attend. For more in formation visit www.jennings dodads.org.

CHURCH

Tuesdays & Thursdays: Chapel of the Cross Lu theran Church Grief Share Support Group Tuesdays from 2 - 4pm and Thursday from 6:30 - 8:30pm, 11645 Benham Rd., 314-741-3737.

HEALTH

Every Mon. & Tues.: Healthy Meal Replace ment (HMR) Program Orientation Mondays: 6–7pm Tuesdays: Noon–1pm SSM DePaul Well ness Center. Attend a free orientation to learn: the Five Success Variables needed to lose weight, different diet op tions available and how im portant physical activity real ly is. Please call to register at 1-877-477-6954.

1st Tuesday of Every Month: Alzheimer’s As sociation Caregiver Sup port Group Meeting Meeting to be held at Sarah Care of Bridgeton Adult Day Center 11977 St. Charles Rock Road, Suite 121-124, Bridgeton, MO 63044. Join our Support Group for Mutual, Emotional Support and Education. You are not alone. For information, contact Deborah Mabrie at 314-291-5210 or Ferd Fetsch at 314-291-3021 Email: dbland@ sarahcare.com ferdfetsch@ sbcglobal.net.

Every third Tuesday of every month: Grief Sup port Group sponsored by DePaul Hospital 11:30am-1pm, Maryland Hgts. Comm. Ctr., 2300 McKelvey Rd. For more information, call 314-344-6873.

Wednesdays: ACES Schizophrenia Support Group 6:30 - 7:30pm, 314-839-3171.

Sundays: Alcoholics An onymous Group 109 11th floor conference room at Christian Hospital, 10am, 11133 Dunn Road.

Diabetes Basics: 314-344-7024 for info or 314344-7220 to enroll.

Crisis Nursery: Committed to preventing child abuse and neglect, the Crisis Nursery provides shortterm, safe havens to children,

birth through age 12, whose families are faced with an emergency or crisis. Care is available year-round and serves families throughout the greater St. Charles region. 24-hour helpline: 314-7683201. Or 636-947-0600, www. crisisnurserykids.org.

Center for Senior Re newal: Day treatment programs for older adults dealing with anx iety, depression, grief, loss and early signs of dementia, 314653-5123.

Christian Hospital Re covery Center: Outpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment for adults, 314-953-8100.

Volunteers Needed at Christian Hospital: Call 314-653-5032.

Nicotine Anonymous Nicotine Anonymous is a 12 Step Program, free and avail able to all seeking recovery from nicotine addiction based on principals of AA. Only re quirement is a desire to stop using nicotine. Voluntary con

tributions are accepted. For further info call 314-822-2066 or visit www.Nicotine-An onymous.org.

Look Good…Feel Better SSM Cancer Care at DePaul Health Center, 12303 DePaul Drive. Radiation Oncology Bridgeton. Attend a great makeup session sponsored by the American Cancer Society. A licensed cosmetologist teaches a session of scarf tying, shows a parade of hats, and provides each participant with a make up kit. Light refreshments are served. Info: 314-344-6090.

CROSSWORD answers from page F-4

SUDOKU answers from page F-1

Sports you see with Gary B...

Howell football team takes title

The Francis Howell Vikings are State Champions!

The Vikings defeated Fort Osage 49-21 for the Class 5 title recently.

The team accomplished a feat rarely done; they were undefeated the entire season.

Howell outscored all their opponents with more than 25 points every game.

* A great accomplishment

The professional soccer team Ambush drop their second game of season

The St. Louis Ambush in the 2022-23 will play in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) with their home games at The Family Arena in St. Charles.

The team fell 4-2 to the Kansas City Comets re cently at the Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, Missouri, splitting the opening weekend home-andhome series between the two teams. The Ambush (11-0) won their home opener and the Comets (1-1-0) returned the favor the next game.

* It’s a long season

UMSL basketball team on a streak

The No. 18 University of Missouri-St. Louis men’s basketball team rallied from an eight-point sec ond half deficit to defeat Missouri S&T 76-67 re cently their home court at the Mark Twain Building.

The Tritons improve to 8-0, 3-0 GLVC while the Min ers (S&T) drop to 5-2, 1-2 GLVC.

The 8-0 start for UMSL is its best to open the sea son since 2014-15 when the Tritons began that season winning eight in a row.

It was a game of runs as S&T jumped out to an early four-point lead then UMSL countered with a 13-6 run of its own to take a 25-22 lead after a three from Bow en Sandquist with 5:11 left in the half.

The Tritons still led by three after a dunk from Ja

neir Harris but that would be their final lead of the half as the Miners ran off 11 straight to take its largest lead of the half at 36-28 on a three from Ikenna Okeke with less than a minute to play in the stanza.

Sandquist hit his second three of the frame to bring UMSL within five but Dylan Singleton hit one-of-two free throws in the closing seconds to give S&T a 37-31 lead at the break.

The Tritons scored the first six points of the second half to tie the game at 37 but the Miners countered with an 11-3 run highlighted by three three-pointers to match its largest lead of the game at 48-40 with 14:24 to play.

UMSL responded with an 18-6 run over the next 4:24 to retake the lead at 58-54 on a pair of Victor Nwagbaraocha free throws. It was a lead the Tritons wouldn’t relinquish. S&T cut the margin to two but wouldn’t get any closer as UMSL pulled away with an 18-9 run to take its largest lead of the contest at 76-65 on two Sandquist free throws with 0:37 left.

The Tritons shot 51% (26-for-51) from the field in the contest but were 6-of-18 from three. UMSL missed five of its first eight throws but hit 15 straight to finish the game shooting 78% at the charity stripe.

The Tritons had five players reach double figures in scoring in the contest led by Mayson Quartlebaum with 16 while Harris added 15 off the bench. Isaiah Fuller had 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Sandquist and Nwagbaraocha finished with 10 points each.

* Great win to continue the streak

Gary Baute, a St. Louis native, may be educated in business but he lives and breathes sports. As a fan or an athlete, Gary is all sports all the time. He hosted a radio sports program on KFNS, emceed the River City Rascals’ inaugural season, among many other activi ties. I am currently hosting a Health show on 97.1 FM, ‘Prime Time Health’ www.PrimeTimeSTL.com. It broadcasts Saturday nights at 8 and Sunday mornings at 9.

Recipe: A sweet, melty holiday sandwich

All that holiday hus tle and bustle can work up some real hunger. Between decorating, baking and preparing for enter taining, hosts often earn an afternoon snack.

When you and your loved ones need a boost of energy before guests arrive, turn to a fresh ingredient like Envy apples, which provide an easy way to whip up a deli cious sandwich due to their sweet taste and availability. The sweet, sophisticated flavor; uplifting, fresh aro ma; delightfully satisfying crunch; beautiful appear ance; and naturally white flesh all lend themselves to this Apple Cranberry Ha varti Melt. As a quick, sim ple way to reenergize before the big party, it’s a perfect snack the whole family can enjoy together.

Movie:

By Steve Bryan

Born and raised in South St. Louis, Steve Bryan is now based in Anaheim, California, and has been allowed access to movie and television sets to see actors and directors at work. Though his writing has taken him far from St. Louis, Steve is, at heart, still the same wide-eyed kid who spent countless hours watching classic movies at neighborhood theaters.

Servings: 4

Apple Cranberry Havarti Melt

With“Aliens,” “Termina tor” and “True Lies” under his belt, James Cameron had the formula for thrilling mov ies. When it came to “Avatar 2: The Way of Water,” howev er, the prolific director might be standing on thin ice.

Cameron had said that the upcoming sequel must make at least $2 billion just to break even. Based on the official trailers, his crew cre ated ground-breaking special effects that should attract fans of the orig inal film. Ticket prices have skyrocketed since 2009, though, and potential audience members may wait until the sequel becomes available on DVD or streaming services.

Long before he landed on Pandora, though, James Cameron had plenty of ex perience with water and inflated budgets thanks to “Titanic.” With a top heavy $200 million budget, the director was convinced the movie would be a huge disaster. Film critics also were sure that the mighty ship would drown Cameron in a sea of red ink.

Both the director and those naysayers were both wrong; however, because the love sto ry between Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) packed theater seats. The final gross of “Titanic” was more than $600 million. At the 70th Annual Academy Awards, “Titanic” won 11 Oscars and, after

all his hard work, Cameron hoisted his “Best Director” Oscar on camera while shouting “I’m the king of the world,” the line made famous by DiCaprio in the film.

Kevin Reynolds directed 1995’s “Water world,” a post-apocalyptic story where every continent had been flooded with water. Set in 2500, Kevin Costner played the Mariner, a sea-faring explorer who, due to mutations, had gills and webbed feet. During his trav els, he met Enola (Tina Majorino), a young girl whose back contained a map to dry land.

“Waterworld” had a budget of more $170 million but grossed just $264 million at the box office. The film earned a “Best Sound” nomination at the Academy Awards while Dennis Hopper won “Worst Supporting Ac tor” at the “Razzie Awards.”

In 2019, Marvel Studios unleashed

– SUDOKU –

“Avengers: Endgame,” a film that wrapped up the storyline that began with the original “Iron Man” movie. Unlike “Titanic,” audiences who saw “Avengers: Infinity War” a year earlier were ready for the final chapter.

The cast of characters in cluded Carol Danvers/Cap tain Marvel (Brie Larson), Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther and other Mar vel characters. When push came to shove, though, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) sacrificed himself to reverse the effects of “The Blip.” The budget was approximately $356 million, but the movie grossed more than $2.7 billion.

It has been possible, though, to make a blockbuster on a tight budget and come out ahead. 1976’s “Rocky” was filmed on a bud get of $1 million ($5,237,469.24 in today’s money). Sylvester Stallone wrote the script about Rocky Balboa, a boxer who worked for a loan shark and hadn’t reached his full potential. When Apollo Creed (Carl Weath ers) the reigning heavyweight champion, chose Rocky to fight for the title on Jan. 1, 1976, the “Italian Stallion” began training in earnest. The film grossed $225 million ($1.07 billion as of 2021) and led to multi

sequels that include the current “Creed”

Fill in the blank squares in the grid, making sure that every row, column and 3-by-3 box includes all the digits 1 through 9.

‘Avatar 2: The Way of Water photo courtesy 20th Century Studios

COLLECTIBLES

NOVENA

PRAYER TO ST. JUDE May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved and preserved throughout the world, now and forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. St. Jude, Worker of Miracles, Pray for us. St. Jude, Helper of the Hopeless, Pray for us.

Say this prayer 9 times a day for 9 days, then publish. Your prayers will be answered.

It has never been known to fail.

Thank you, St. Jude. R.H.

PUBLIC NOTICE

By Cindy Moore

Here it is! The joyous season is upon us. Time for giv ing and singing and mistletoeing and…

Ahem…excuse me! Well, I certainly hate to be the one to Scrooge all over everyone’s celebration, but there are definitely some downsides to all this holly jollying. And since no one else will talk about it, I guess I’ll be the cat doodie in the fig pudding and point out the ob vious. The negatives need to be addressed before the merriment can begin.

Think of these warnings as my personal gift to you.

First: Christmas letters. These are the typed letters on festive stationary that at first glance appear to be harbingers of gladness and good cheer. False! They are toxic epistles of misery and misfortune. Do not unseal them; do not read them. Instead, use them to light the Yule log.

Aunt Hazel will reveal her latest news in vivid tech nicolor in which multiple pustules from Uncle Harold had to be surgically removed from an embarrassing bodily location. She will include such minute detail that you would assume she graduated first in her class from medical school. But she will end on a happy note by ex plaining that her bunions are doing much better since she grated them down to a manageable size, thanks to the video her grandson brought up on the YouTuber.

Second: Elf on the Shelf. For the love of all that is creepy and terrorizing do not get involved in this curseful craze! Whose brilliant idea was it to take a freakish mutant gnome with a nasty Grinch grimace and hide it

around every corner?!

Just the other day, I was having my morning bath room time and got the undeniable impression that I was being watched. Yup, sure enough that puny little weirdo was mounted atop my shower nozzle looking down on my most personal goings on with his horrid unblinking eyes and that creep-out of a grin.

I shrieked loudly and threw a wet towel at the men acing midget.

I heard my husband out in the hall laughing and howling like a banshee. Hmph! Soon it’ll be me laugh ing when he finds its head inside his tuna sandwich to morrow.

And finally: Fruitcake. Let the slogan for mind-alter ing, dangerous drugs be caution enough…just say no!

And now, let the festivities begin.

Cindy Moore is the mother of three superlative kids, servant of two self-indulgent felines and wife to one nifty husband. Her ficticious occupation? Archeological Humor ist: someone who unearths ab surdity and hilarity in strange and unusual places including public restrooms, the lint filter, and church meetings. Most recent ly, she excavated a find in her neighbor’s bird feeder.

The opinions expressed in this column are Cindy Moore’s alone and do not reflect the opinion of the owners or staff of Community News.

The holiday season means fun and festivities for all, but getting wrapped up in all the excitement and celebrations can lead to forgetting about safety and precautions, especially for pets.

Consider these seven tips to help you spot potential hazards around the hol idays and keep your pets healthy and happy.

Food for thought: Sweet treats and savory bites are treasured holiday pas times for humans, but that can also mean things like chocolates, nuts and animal bones should be supervised carefully so your pets don’t ingest something toxic or harmful. Other human foods to put on the do-not-share list include garlic, onions and grapes. It’s also wise to keep your trash in a tightly sealed con tainer or hidden somewhere your pet can’t access.

Keep calm and carry on: The holiday season brings people together for milestones and celebrations, but all the hoopla can be stressful for pets. From the loud music and new visitors to kids running around or fire works going off, some pets can become overwhelmed. To help keep your pets comfortable and calm, try turn ing on a TV or some soothing music in a quiet room away from the noises or let them curl up on their favor ite bed with a toy or treat to distract them.

Watch out for tree trimmings and poisonous plants: While poinsettias and festive fir trees are holiday clas sics, they can also be extremely hazardous to pets. It’s important to be careful about what you’re bringing in side your home. Many holiday plants like holly, lilies, amaryllis and even pine needles from trees can be toxic if ingested. If ingestion does occur, contact a pet poi son hotline or your veterinarian. If it’s after hours or in

the event of an emergency, find your nearest 24-hour emergency veterinary clinic.

Watch the weather: Changing tem peratures and harsh conditions can wreak havoc on human skin, so it’s no surprise it can also affect pets’ skin and coats. You can try reducing their bathing frequency, keeping up with brushings and providing extra hydration to keep them feeling their best. Another way to keep your pet’s skin and coat healthy is to add supplements that contain essen tial fatty acids.

Stick to a routine: Pets thrive on rou tines for feeding, potty breaks and exer cise, so be conscious of how your holiday plans may shake things up. Try to stick to your regular schedule as closely as possible or consider asking a friend or rel ative to help if you’ll be away during regular feeding or outdoor break times.

Spend some quality time: In addition to providing companionship and love, spending time with pets can also reduce stress, anxiety and depression; ease lone liness; and encourage exercise and playfulness. Even though you may be traveling or partying with friends, be sure to spend some quality time with your fur babies this holiday season, too.

Give them gifts: Humans aren’t the only ones who love to get gifts. Few things beat the look on dog’s faces when you pull out a new toy or treat for them to enjoy. Whether it’s a new leash, ball or cozy bed, be sure you have a little something to give your furry family mem bers this holiday season as well.

For more information and ways to keep your pets happy and healthy, visit ZestyPaws.com.